Late songleader Jim Maloof remembered at 66th annual Christmas Sing

PEORIA — Instead of going door-to-door on a cold and wet Thursday night, hundreds of people came and sang dozens of Christmas carols in the lobby of the Peoria Civic Center.

Zach Berg Journal Star news reporter

PEORIA — Instead of going door-to-door on a cold and wet Thursday night, hundreds of people came and sang dozens of Christmas carols in the lobby of the Peoria Civic Center.

Lee Wenger of Peoria Public Radio hopped on the stage dressed in Christmas greens and reds as he began his duties as the night's host of the 66th annual Journal Star Christmas Sing. His and everyone else's voices were being broadcast over the radio for all of Peoria to hear and sing along, but that didn't stop him from cracking a couple jokes.

"Kids, do you know why Santa planted three gardens? So he could hoe, hoe, hoe," Wenger said. When the joke produced groans from the crowd, Wenger deadpanned, "Thank you, I'll be here all night."

The night had a slightly more serious tone than previous years. Remembering former Peoria mayor and constant Christmas Sing attendee Jim Maloof, who died earlier this year, took center stage for the night. After the crowd got done singing "O' Holy Night," Maloof's favorite song, Wenger looked up toward the sky. "Hope you liked it, Jim."

Even with the remembrance, the night was almost always a festive affair. That was definitely true for a trio of sisters: Gigi Lemon, Kikki Moody and Jeannie Langhorn. While most people were dressed in holiday appropriate attire, Lemon and Moody took their dress to another level. Both were decked out in clothing wrapped with the Christmas lights.

Santa Claus walked by the sisters. "Don't call me if you short circuit; I don't have my tool belt."

The sisters laughed.

"We've been coming every year. It's a tradition," Lemon said. "We dance, we sing, we just enjoy it. It's always a great time. We're going to sing to every song; we really get into it."

And sing they did. All three sisters were bobbing along with the music, belting out lyrics louder than most. They were definitely singing louder than a trio of Boy Scouts standing in the back of the room.

Hank Hendrick, 14, Eli McKim, 16, and Matthew Gerontes, 15, were the Boy Scouts who presented the American flag at the beginning of the night. The three friends from Brimfield were escorted by Gerontes' dad, Greg. The four of them weren't singing too loud, but were excited to take part in the festivities.

"It's really cool when you get to do stuff like this in front of people you know," Hendrick said.

"It also makes you not want to screw up since everyone knows you," McKim said.

The trio, as they swayed with the music, exchanged good-hearted barbs about each other's singing.

They were unanimous on what song was the best, though. "'Jingle Bell Rock,' that's definitely the best song," Gerontes said. Hendrick and McKim nodded in approval.

Greg Gerontes stood behind his son, taking in the multitude of people singing. To him, seeing a community come together just to sing some songs was important for the boys to see.

"This is just great for people to see. It shows a community that's woven together to form a stronger fabric," Greg Gerontes said. "That's a part of living in Peoria."

Zach Berg can be reached at zberg@pjstar.com or 686-3257. Follow him on Twitter @ZacharyBerg.